Dehydrator



DEHYDRATOR Filed oct. 28, 1920 Sheets-Sheet. 1

37 A y www,

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patented Apr., il?, i923.,

Application led October 28, 1920. Serial 11o. M6245.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known thatl l, WYNN li/lEnEDITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident oi the city and county of Alameda, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dehydrators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the circulating of the emulsion in dehydrato'rs for the purpose of effecting a more efficient treatment than heretofore. This l accomplish by causing the emulsion in the treatment chamber of the dehydrator to circulate in a path of electrical discharge, and I prefer topvary the length of the path in different portions of the treated emulsion-such that in those parts of the body of emulsion which contains an increased water content the path of discharge will be longer.

Other objects will appear from the drawing andspeciication which follow.

By referring to the accompanying drawing my invention willhe made clear Fig. 1 is a cross-section through one form of my dehydrator.

Fig. 2 illustrates a diiierent arrangement of apparatus whereby the circulation is etfected.

3 is a plan View of Fig. 2.v

y Fig. f1 illustrates another form of circulating means whereby the circulation maybe e'ected by direct action of the rotating elec-v trode.

.Throughout the figures similar numerals refer to identical parts.

Referring to Fig. 1. One of the electrodes is illustrated by the annular oppositely di,

rected conical surfaces 1-2 between which the electrodes 3, 4, 5, 6 of opposite polarity are adapted to rotate. lt is to be understood that electrical conductivity to the surfaces 1 and 2 is accomplished through the metallic structure of the dehydrator which may be grounded or in other well known ways. rThese latter electrodes 3, 4, 5, 6, l prefer to form of rings held 'apa-rt by bushings 7 carried upon supporting rods 8, the latter being suspended from the spider 9 which is connected with and operated by the shaft 10. The walls of the treatment chamber are shown at 11, and at 12 is indicated a pro- .16 which has a number of discharge openings as 17, 18, 19. The propeller is now set into-operation by the driving pulley 15 actuated from the power means 20 such that the flow of emulsion will be in the direction of the arrows 21, 22 by the propeller and again up and around the passageway formed between the walls oi'l electrode 1 and chambei-.11, as indicated by the arrow 23, and again downward between thc electrodes as indicated by the arrows 2li-land 25. ln this way the emulsion is subjected to a series ot treatments between the electrodes; and so that the process ot dehydration shall be continuous, oil is admitted in small quantities .the oil and water occurs within the treatment chamber that portion occupyingv the lower part of the chamber will contain a greater percentage of water than that portion ot the emulsion in the upper part and consequently the electrical resistance oi the upper part will be higher than in the lower part ot the said treatment chamber. 1t' now the path ot electrical discharge as between the electrode ring 3 and the walls 1 and 2 is maintained the same distance as that between the electrode 6 and the said walls, there will be a greater discharge of current through the path of less resistance from o to 1--2 and therefore to equalize the resistance of paths of discharge l increase the said path between the electrodes at the lower Aportion of the treatment chamber, thus conipensating for the ditlierence in conductivity .in the emulsion in its different positions in the container. the employment ot the pro eller 12 ot Fig. 1 within the container may e in any suitable location, and also as indicated in Fig. 4 the propeller 26 may be attached to and operated by the stem or shal't ot the rotating electrode 27; in this case ll prefer 4to admitthe oil as through the pipe 28 to the said propeller` which latter is adapted to discharge the received emulsion in a radial di rection as indicated bythe arrows 29. ln

llt is to be understood that itlll lill thislatter construction the supportingmem-I ber for `the elec-trodes may be formed with propeller bla-des or the propeller blades themselves may be employe-d to support the electrodes.

In Fig. 3 I hare shown the circulation of the oil asbeing effected Jfrom an .exterior source in which case the emulsion is successively passed between the electrodes by employing the circulating pump 30, which takes its emulsion from the one portion of the treat-ment chamber and thereafter passes it back into the treatment chamber, prefer# ably in a. line tangent With the walls ot the treatment chamber. In this way the direction oi circulation enables vthe centrifugal force of the oil being discharged intovthe f chamber at 32 to separate in a measurev the lighter from the heavier portions of the emulsion, thus subjecting the lighter portions to the action between the electrodes and facilitating the separation ot' the heavier portion which falls in the direction of the arrow 33 and accumulates more readily iii 'the lower portion of the chamber as 34. Jfrom which it may bewitbdiawn at 37. (Fig. 1.) In Fig. 2 at I have shown an inletiunnel of relatively large dimensions compared with the feeder pipe 36, so that any circulation disturbances in the pipes 31`or 36 'or the emission ot any bubbles through the said pipeswill find egress through the body of emulsion in 35 without ejecting any portion of the said emulsion therefrom` and the body Aot" oil in the said inlet funnel 'forms a.. seal against the ingress of air, and therefore prevents the formation of an explosive mixture should the oil level tend to fall.

The chamber or container 11 is preferably made of metallic or other conducting material as are the suspension and support-ing members 50, 51, and 52, for' the. electrodes l4 and 2,'and it is also customary to ground said container as shown at 53. The circuit connections are shown at 54, 55 whereby the electrodes -are energized, the container walls 56, 57, 11, serving as one leg of the circuit and connected with 54. and which container may be grounded at 53, and which through the suspension members 50, 51. energizes the elcctrodesl and 2. The other leg of the cir. cuit 55 is connected with the rotatable electrodes 3,54, 5. 6, through the insulated connections 10, 9, 7.

Reference is herein made `to my co-pendtreatment within said chamber, in combination with an electrodo adapted tio rotate between' said plates." f

2. Apparatus as set an inlet-forv saidjemulsion before treatment and anl outlet fpr'said emulsion after it has received treatment."

3. Apparatus as 4setv forth claim 1, and.

ferai in anni i' wherein said electrode is disposed symmetrically between said plates and electric connections to said electrode and said plates respectively, and means for rotatng said electrode. l v

l 4.. Apparatus as vset A forth in claim 1 wherein the propeller 'is fixed to rotate with the electrode, and wherein the electrode is symmetrically disposed between said plates. `5. Apparatus as set forth in 'claim 1 wherein the propeller is fixed to rota-te with the electrode, and wherein said elec-trodeis symmetrically disposed between said plates, and electric connections for energizing said electrode and said plates.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the propeller is fixed to rotate with the electrode, and wherein said electrode is symmetrically disposed between saidplates', and electric connections for energizing said electrode and said lates, and means con- Istructed and adapter to rotate said electrode.

7. Incombination with a chamber for the "electrical treat-mento emulsions, a circu- WYNN transpire. 

